1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, a control method therefor, and a program for implementing the method, and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus that performs monitoring while carrying out panning/tilting control, a control method therefor, and a program for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, monitoring cameras have been installed in lots of places, such as railroad stations and department stores, for prevention of crimes, and recently, small-sized monitoring cameras have started to come into widespread use as crime-preventive means for home use.
A general monitoring camera picks up an image and displays the image on a monitor installed in a remote place. This enables the user to check the image in real time from the remote place.
Further, another type of monitoring camera has been known which is configured such that picked-up images are stored in a storage device so that the user can check the stored images afterward. A still another type of monitoring camera has also been proposed which is configured such that the storage device for storing images is attachable to and detachable from the monitoring camera itself.
Monitoring cameras can be broken or stolen. Therefore, various methods have been proposed to cope with accidents of theft of monitoring cameras themselves and accidents of damage caused by breaking and theft.
For example, a prior art method is known in which an alarm is sounded when a monitoring camera detects intrusion of a suspicious person by an infrared sensor (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H05-006420). Another prior art method is also known in which an alarm is sounded when a monitoring camera detects abnormal vibration of an object to be monitored based on input of signals from an external vibration sensor mounted on the object (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-164103).
However, the above-mentioned conventional methods necessitate an infrared sensor or a vibration sensor which is provided in addition to a monitoring camera only for detecting an abnormality, and hence the construction of the camera becomes complicated, which can cause an increase in manufacturing costs thereof.